Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government: Coronavirus

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, whether local government bodies can hold meetings remotely if they choose.

Lord Greenhalgh: A High Court judgement handed down on 27 April 2021 confirmed that the Local Government Act 1972 specifies that council meetings must take place in person at a single, specified, geographical location and being “present” at such a meeting involves physical presence at that location.This judgement confirmed that the regulations which allowed local authorities to meet remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic did not apply to meetings after 6 May 2021.Any permanent change would require primary legislation, and would depend upon Parliamentary time being available.Non-statutory or other informal meetings where local authorities deem that in-person attendance is not required can be held virtually.

Buildings: Insurance

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to request property developers to reimburse leaseholders for any increase in buildings insurance premiums as a result of developers' failures to meet the necessary building and fire safety regulations.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government is examining what more can be done to protect leaseholders from unnecessary costs. Regarding building insurance, we continue to press insurers to provide market solutions that enable customers to be able to find affordable premiums. Specific insurers have engaged with me over recent months and whilst these have been useful, we believe insurers could be more open to offering cover for new business.

Department for Education

Academies

Lord Lingfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is possible for a school in a multi-academy trust to opt by resolution of its governing body to become a stand-alone academy; and, if so, how many such schools have done so in the last three years.

Baroness Barran: It is not possible for a school in a multi academy trust to opt by resolution of its local governing board to become a stand-alone academyIt is possible, however, for an academy to leave a multi academy trust with the mutual agreement of the governing board of the trust and the Secretary of State for Education. Before agreeing to such a move, the Secretary of State for Education would need assurance that it would be in the best interest of all pupils within the trust. However, there have been no recorded instances of this happening during the last 3 years.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Peat Bogs

Baroness Fookes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total acreage of peatland in England; and how many acres are used for the production of peat for horticultural purposes.

Baroness Fookes: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much peat has been extracted from peatlands in England for horticultural purposes over the last five years for which statistics are available.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Peat is extracted in England for, primarily, horticultural purposes. Commercial extraction in England is licensed on approximately 664 hectares of peatland, across 29 sites. Whilst this represents less than 1% of England’s peatlands, extraction is a major source of carbon emissions, causes biodiversity loss and destroys habitats. Industry data tells us that in 2020 alone, 2.2 million cubic metres of peat were sold in the UK, 70% of which was imported. Recent years have seen the development of a number of high-quality peat-free alternatives that are as effective as current peat-based options, many of which are much less damaging to the environment than using peat. We are therefore continuing to focus on reducing demand for peat in horticulture in England, to protect peatlands at home and abroad. We have published a full consultation on ending the use of peat, with our preferred option being to ban the sale of peat and peat containing products in the amateur sector by the end of this Parliament. We are also turbo-charging current levels of peatland restoration through the Nature for Climate Fund, which will aim to provide funding for the restoration of approximately 35,000ha of peatland by 2025. This represents a tripling of historical average annual restoration levels. More information about our actions to protect and restore our vulnerable peatlands is available at these links to the consultation (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ending-the-retail-sale-of-peat-in-horticulture-in-england-and-wales) and the England Peat Action Plan (England Peat Action Plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Relevant documents are also attached to this answer.Peat in horticulture consultation (pdf, 190.1KB)England Peat Action Plan (pdf, 2595.6KB)